韓国サイト Q＆A No.9

Q.How did the issue of comfort women become known to the world?

A.deported as an illegal alien. When her nationality was verified, she said that she was taken from Korea as “comfort woman.”In 1975, she received an official permission to stay in Japan as a registered foreigner. The media covered her story, making it known to the world. Kawada Fumiko wrote a book titled “ed-roofed House,”after collecting many related testimonies. However, Bae’ story was not well known among South Korean people. For, after the Korean Peninsula was divided under the cold war system, Bae’ story made big headlines in North Korea as a couple from Jochongyun, the pro-North Korean residents’league in Japan, helped out Ms. Bae. Jungok Yun, Professor of Ewha University in Korea met Ms. Bae in Okinawa and was convinced that she was a comfort woman for the Japanese military. Then, in April, 1998, she made a presentation about her field study on comfort women at an international seminar.

In January, 1990, Professor Yun began writing a series titled “racing Back to comfort Women,” In July, 1990, the research association on comfort women was launched and in November, 37 women’ organizations gathered together to establish the Korean Council for comfort women’ issues. In August, 1991, Haksun Kim (then, 67) was the first comfort woman victim who revealed herself at a press conference in South Korea.

In September, the same year, Korea Church Women United opened a hotline for comfort women and in December, three comfort women including Haksun Kim filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government for compensation. Kim’ brave testimony and civil groups’efforts encouraged many comfort women to make their stories known to the world. Also, from January in 1992, a demonstration began to be held in front of the Japanese embassy to resolve the issue of the forced sex slaves for the Japanese army every Wednesdays.

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